


Pink Skin

by summoninglupine



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Andorians, Enterprise, Gen, Languages and Linguistics, Linguistics, Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), Triple Drabble, Vulcan, Vulcan Culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25307338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summoninglupine/pseuds/summoninglupine
Summary: No one addressed this, she considered thoughtfully. Originally a racial epithet applied to Vulcans, even then it had made little sense considering the fact that Vulcans were far from uniform.
Relationships: Jonathan Archer & T'Pol, Jonathan Archer & Thy'lek Shran
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: Multifandom Drabble 2020





	Pink Skin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rebecca_selene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebecca_selene/gifts).



No one addressed this, she considered thoughtfully. Originally a racial epithet applied to Vulcans, even then it had made little sense considering the fact that Vulcans were far from uniform. Although, she noted with disappointment, it was never asked of by their new companions why the High Council was entirely male, why it was entirely white, nor did they question the use of such an epithet by the Andorians long after relations had grown closer between the two of them.

It confused her, this use of an emotionally charged term in a relationship between partners, a relationship suggested to be built on respect, and she felt some kind of discomfort whenever it was employed, not necessarily just from the historical use of the term, but also from the glaring obviousness that, by now, the Andorians surely knew that humanity was not entirely _‘pink-skinned,’_ just as they knew that not all Vulcans were white.

Two years into her service with Starfleet, five years aboard _Enterprise_ , and T’Pol found herself continually bewildered by the interaction between humans and those they regarded as peers. It was to their credit that they approached each new relationship from a position of equality, and yet it made no sense to continue to encourage this unequal parlance. 

The primary language of _Enterprise_ , spoken English, was common in many dialects aboard the ship, and T’Pol had learnt to speak the language fluently whilst still on Vulcan—yet she could not understand the lack of subtlety employed, the hateful words used to denote affection. 

She had never spoken to Archer of this, or, for that matter, any of the other crew. Yet what was worse, she asked herself, this terminology, or the lack of diversity amongst the High Council?

For this, she realised, she did not have an answer.


End file.
